In USA public schools of Washington A lawsuit was filed against him Meta, Snapchat, YouTube and TikTok They are accused of “damaging” the mental health of young people. At the same time, the president of this country, joe biden He called on Democrats and Republicans to “unite against the misuse of big technology” to manipulate data and generate addiction.

A panorama that once again puts on the table the discussion about the extent of social networks on the health of minors, due to the type of content they generate, the time spent consuming it, the challenges and people encouraged there. They are associated.

The educational institutions’ lawsuit states that “the increase in suicides, suicide attempts, and mental health-related emergency department visits is no accident.”

A situation that existed before the pandemic and in which these applications “play an important role” in the emergence of these diseases among young people.

At the same time, they confirm that they are organizations profit motive And that they are interested in keeping users connected for a long time, because in this way they can sell “more advertising”.

An argument that also uses Bidenwhich believes that “social networks should be held accountable for the experiment they are conducting with our children for profit,” given the data they collect and the incentives they create for minors to constantly view content.

You may be interested in: Joe Biden Urges Democrats and Republicans to Unite Against Big Tech Abuse

How mental health problems arise

Anxiety, depression and stress are diseases that have affected millions of people worldwide in recent years, to the point that WHO One in eight people suffer from this type of disorder.

The beginning of the development of symptoms in each person can be very diverse, and generally they are a combination of many factors, as the psychologist claims. fidblaimid cruzAnd “it’s not just social media that can cause signs and symptoms associated with these illnesses.”

But among the points at which these platforms can cause you to suffer from these violations are the following, according to Cruz:

– Comparison with friends and public figures

“Compare yourself to others, see the places they travel, the clothes they wear, and their physical appearance, This leads to young people not believing they can enjoy themselves as much as other people their age, developing low self-esteem and false perceptions of their body image, and obsessing over the need to look like others in their social networks.

– Time spent in applications

“Spending more than two hours on them can have a negative impact on mental health, including links between excessive mobile phone use and time spent on social media and sleep quality among young people.”

– Cyberbullying

“Networks are used to spread messages, images, videos and other virtual content that intimidate, ridicule, threaten or embarrass a person (or group of people). The consequences of cyberbullying also include the possibility of substance abuse, absenteeism and/or school phobia, stress, feelings of anger and frustration, irritability, sleep disturbances, learning difficulties and suicidal thoughts.

Mental health is in everyone’s hands

The protection of minors has been a subject of long debate, in which there have always been hints from each side looking for a single culprit. However, the responsibility is shared.

Cruz makes it clear that both parents and schools need to educate and educate minors about how to use social networks and deal with the content they consume.

“Young people are often in constant contact with fake news, low-value content created by influencers that can lead to and promote anti-values, inappropriate behavior, normalization of violent behavior and/or revealing private lives,” he said.

For this, it is essential that critical thinking and responsible use of these platforms are encouraged at home and in schools, and not just left to the networks to regulate the content there.

“It is important that the importance of privacy is discussed as a family and that the importance of privacy is discussed with children, to reflect the content that they upload to their networks and share, if possible, to use parental controls without neglecting the rest.” previously discussed aspects”, said the psychologist.

On the application side, it is also necessary to improve the protection systems that prevent people under 14 from accessing them, as many have this minimum age, but it is easy to avoid.

“An investigation last year found that platforms in countries with protective legislation put in place better mechanisms to protect their teenagers’ information. But in places like Colombia that don’t have specific legislation, these same platforms don’t generate the mechanisms they already have. “- he said. Judy BenavidesHead of the Seguro Viguías Internet Center Peace Network.

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